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First Assignment

For your first assignment, I want to ask a friend or someone you know who recently got married if they would be comfortable answering a few questions for an assignment for school. Your questions and their answers may be asked in person and recorded in writing, or you could correspond through text/email. You will want to ask some form of the following questions:

Can you briefly describe your wedding? Where and when and who, and how fancy was it, and tell me what made it special?

Did you hire a photographer? How did you learn about them, where did you see their work?

Were you satisfied with their work? Why or why not?

What did you receive at the end of the process? If you do not mind sharing (no problem if you’re not comfortable), How much did you pay them?

What is your favorite photo from your wedding? Please (if at all possible) send a copy of the photo – just to get a sense of it. Why is this photo so special?

Once you receive a copy of the photo along with the answers, you will email all of it to me using the email address on your syllabus. In addition, please provide me with your full name and phone number. This way if I need to get a hold of you in an emergency or to make a change to our class schedule, I’ll be able to reach you quickly.

Happy chatting!

OH! and by the way, here are the answers:

1. Can you briefly describe your wedding? Where and when and who, how fancy was it, and tell me what made it special?

My wedding was located in Valencia, CA at the Bridgeport neighborhood community clubhouse. It is on a man-made lake with a lighthouse attached, and was a relatively casual wedding with around 120 people invited. What made it special was the location and the amazing warm weather for it being February, allowing us to do an outdoor wedding!

2. Did you hire a photographer? How did you learn about them, where did you see their work?

Yes, I did hire a photographer, Renee Bowen of Renee Bowen Photography (http://www.reneebowen.com/). I had heard about Renee from word of mouth, many people from my high school had used her for senior portraits, family photos, and of course for weddings. She is someone I have always wanted to work with!

3. Were you satisfied with their work? Why or why not?

I was definitely satisfied with Renee’s work. I felt as though she captured every memory I could have wanted from my wedding, as well as gave great direction on how to pose and where to stand for the perfect photo. She was well organized and very knowledgeable.

4. What did you receive at the end of the process? Pictures, book album? If you don’t mind sharing (no problem if you’re not comfortable), how much did you pay them?

I received a USB stick with every photo Renee took on it, personalized and in it’s own hard-covered box. I had the option for other packages, such as prints or books, but decided to go with the USB stick in order to have the rights to all of my photos and be able to print as many as I would like. Her wedding package price was $2120, and the photo stick was an additional $1500. I felt it was worth it!

5. What is your favorite photo from your wedding? (If at all possible) include a copy of it. (You can take a picture of it with your phone and send it with the email). Why is the photo so special?

One of my many favorite photos from my wedding is this one (attached)! I love the pose that she had us do sitting on the bench with the light coming from behind us. I feel as though it gives us a romantic glow, and it showcases my dress as well as my shoes which people hardly get to see!

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1. Can you briefly describe your wedding? Wedding was a beautiful intimate wedding with 130 guests. The theme of the wedding were Large Daisies. 2. Where and when and who, and how fancy was it? The wedding was in a hotel garden and in the reception area in October. It was not that fancy but it was just enough fancy to give it the feel of an expensive wedding. 3. Tell me what made it special? I think what made it special was all the small touches I added to every piece of decoration. The small décor on each table or wall. It brought a nice feel to the place. 4. Did you hire a photographer? We did not choose the photographer. It was chosen for us as a gift. But yes we had a photographer. 5. How did you learn about them, We had not learned about them before. But we did hear about them after. 6. Where did you see their work? In an inside of a shopping mall 7. Were you satisfied with their work? Overall yes. I should have requested more candid photos instead of such formal positions.

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Can you briefly describe your wedding? Where and when and who, and how fancy was it, and tell me what made it special My wedding was on February 3, 2018. The ceremony was in DTLA at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Armenian Catholic Church and the Reception was at Bagramian Hall in Montebello, CA. In the Armenian tradition, we (the grooms family) go to the brides house with gifts and music to ask for the brides hand in marriage – even though we have been engaged for 4 years! Her father is at the door and the best man negotiates with him and when the price is right for the father he lets us in and we play music and dance, etc… It’s a lot of fun! The whole idea here is that this is the last time she will be at her home and her father is giving her to the other family officially.

It was fancy but not over the top and I love traditions so we had a lot of them like the one I described above. What made it really special is that even though we did have some of the usual traditions we did some unconventional things as well. Such as the musical selections at the church. My wife walked down the isle to the Young Frankenstein Theme instead of “Here comes the bride” which was awesome. We also did the exit of the ceremony to “The best is yet to come” It was awesome! Our first dance was “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica which my friends played at the reception. Someone called it the most traditional / untraditional wedding ever.

Did you hire a photographer? How did you learn about them, where did you see their work? Yes we did. Mher Vahakn Special Event Photography. He has actually been a friend for several years. We actually played a few shows together – he’s also a really good musician (percussionist) and graphic designer. He also did the artwork for two of my albums. I used him as a photographer for two of my orchestral concerts so when we were looking for someone for our wedding, he’s the first person that came to mind. Were you satisfied with their work? Why or why not? Yes he is great. We haven’t received any pictures yet because the wedding was last week but I know his quality of work and it’s amazing. He’s always at the right place at the right moment when capturing pictures. What did you receive at the end of the process? If you do not mind sharing (no problem if you’re not comfortable), How much did you pay them? I’m not sure of the final cost yet because he’s a friend and hasn’t given me a number! We will be receiving all the pictures digitally… and I believe some type of album. What is your favorite photo from your wedding? Please (if at all possible) send a copy of the photo – just to get a sense of it. Why is this photo so special? I don’t have any of the pictures yet.

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Can you briefly describe your wedding? Where and when and who, and how fancy was it, and tell me what made it special?

-I got married at my hometown church in delano. We then travelled to Sanger for the reception. The reception was formal, held at Wonder Valley Ranch Resort with a classic flamenco ensemble from LA serenading during cocktail hour. It was a very intimate evening but on the larger end of what is considered “small”- about 175 people. We had guests attend from across the country (mostly military friends) and having them along with our close family and friends all present was really a joy for us. The dance floor literally stayed completely packed all night until it was time to go- so I’d say the best part was that everyone had a great time Did you hire a photographer? How did you learn about them, where did you see their work?

-Yes Eliseo Valdovinos and his crew. (Valdophye Photography) he photographed my older sister’s quinceanera back in ‘95 when he was just starting his photography business, then her wedding 10 years later, then mine! Were you satisfied with their work? Why or why not? What did you receive at the end of the process? If you do not mind sharing (no problem if you’re not comfortable), How much did you pay them?

-I was definitely happy and content but honestly I felt they came up short with the “Ah” factor. I expected at least one shot that was worth enough to display in his studio but that wasn’t the case. I liked the photos but I was disappointed that he didn’t capture “the one” if you know what I mean? I opted for the full video footage of the day vs the trailer option that only captured the key moments. And a bunch of edited photos, two large albums and some mini pocket albums. If i recall correctly it was around 5k.

What is your favorite photo from your wedding? Please (if at all possible) send a copy of the photo – just to get a sense of it. Why is this photo so special?

-Probably this one, Just because it was honestly candid although it looked staged haha. They wanted us to hide behind the cover (cliche) but I just grabbed the sword and looked out at the last second…

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Can you briefly describe your wedding? Where and when and who, and how fancy was it, and tell me what made it special?

Hi! My name is Peter Nguyen and my wife’s name is Nellie Nguyen. We were married on a scorching hot Saturday in September (9/9/17). We held our ceremony & reception at the York Manor in Highland Park, a small suburb of Los Angeles and what many believe to be the new hipster capital of the city. We chose this location based on it’s central and quaint location, in addition to the venue’s ability to be a blank canvas for however we wanted to dress up our wedding. The wedding itself was not too fancy at all, it was actually quite casual; we had a buffet-style reception Mexican dinner; we did everything from decorations, vendor rentals, floral arrangements, etc., to help keep costs manageable. We tried to have the overall decor of the wedding be classic, yet whimsical. What made it special was our friends and family coming from all over the state to help with all the setup the day prior to the wedding. We couldn’t have done it without them!

Did you hire a photographer? How did you learn about them, where did you see their work?

Yes, we hired an acquaintance of a good friend, who just happened to be studying to become a wedding photographer. It was to be her first hired gig! We saw her online portfolio, and although she had no prior wedding photography experience, we could see she had the right eye based on her portfolio work. Were you satisfied with their work? Why or why not?

Yes and no, but not entirely by any fault of our photographer. The day went by so fast and when things got too hectic, the wedding timeline/schedule had to be shifted and there were some moments and people we were not able to capture on film, for example: photos with our parents, a solo photo of us before and after the wedding, etc. We also loved that she shot on film and digital, as the shots on film were some of our most favorite ones. She also brought an assistant who was able to cover more ground throughout the day, which was greatly appreciated. What did you receive at the end of the process? If you do not mind sharing (no problem if you’re not comfortable), How much did you pay them?

We received a DVD copy with all film images on it; a flash drive with all the digital shots; and a folder of negatives from the actual film. We got the “friend’s discount” and were only charged $500 for the day, in addition any film, printing and developing costs. What is your favorite photo from your wedding? Please (if at all possible) send a copy of the photo – just to get a sense of it. Why is this photo so special?

There’s a shot of us just as we’re just about to kneel on the altar, taken from a ground perspective. It’s our favorite because you could absolutely see the myriad of emotions we were then experiencing clearly on our faces, haha. Joy, love, appreciation, with a healthy dose of nervousness and anxiety, as we were about to wing our vows in front of everyone. Also, it’s just a beautiful picture. I’ve attached it below.

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Faeze Ilkhani Can you briefly describe your wedding? Where and when and who, and how fancy was it, and tell me what made it special? My wedding ceremony was so beautiful. My ceremony was in Shahriar Garden and we had about 250 guests. It was on September 2015 and we hired Retina Photography for our wedding day. Our ceremony was not too much fancy and not too much simple. It was like a medium class wedding and not a luxury event. Our ceremony had two sections. One was a garden where are the guests sited there, and the other one was a dance floor that was in the building.

Did you hire a photographer? How did you learn about them, where did you see their work? Yes, we hired a photographer. I know my photographer from one of my friend’s sister and it was basically referral. After knowing our photographer name, I went to their Instagram page and see their works. I like most of their photos, and also, I read the comments and find out that most of the people were satisfied with their work.

Were you satisfied with their work? Why or why not? I satisfied with their work. I like my albums and my photos a lot. Also, after my ceremony I recommended them to my other friends.

What did you receive at the end of the process? If you do not mind sharing (no problem if you’re not comfortable), How much did you pay them? We receive one 15” *15” inches wedding album, about thirty 5” *7” ceremonial photos, 1 bridal photo on canvas. We pay about 2,000 dollars.

What is your favorite photo from your wedding? Please (if at all possible) send a copy of the photo – just to get a sense of it. Why is this photo so special? I love this photo because it is not like a posing photo. At that moment, our photographer tell us just talking to each other and feeling that there is no camera over there. Me and my husband just looking at each other’s eyes and then just laughing together. After I saw the picture, it reminds me about our feeling at that moment and besides that I really love the composition and how gorgeous both of us look in the photo.

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1. Outdoor wedding at a family friends house in Northern California. The reception was outside in a field but the after wedding activities were inside on the property. It was a modern wedding with lots of family. They felt having their whole family there was the special part. 2. Yes they hired a photographer, they heard of them from the groom sister who also used the same photographer. 3. They were satisfied because they had lots of photos to post on social media, and a phonebook. 4. Their favorite photo is of the couple dancing on the dance floor